Articles of the Day
GroupM: Internet Overtakes TV In Sweden, The U.K. Will Be Next - The U.K. next year will become the first major economy in which the Internet overtakes television as the No. 1 advertising medium, according to a new forecast from WPP’s GroupM unit. The new prediction follows a report released last month by GroupM, the world’s largest buyer of media, which estimated that the Internet would become the dominant ad medium in Sweden during 2008, and that the U.K and Denmark were “likely to be the next in line.”
Out With Diaries, In With Web Logs: Nielsen’s Latest Foray Into Social Media Is A Blog - The name Nielsen may be most closely associated with the medium of television, but it is the Internet–especially social forms of online media–that is having the greatest influence on the way the research and publishing giant delivers its own messages to the public. In its latest foray into online publishing, the Nielsen Co. has quietly launched the “Nielsen Blog,” a new Web destination featuring the waxings and musings of its array of experts on marketing and media research topics.
YouTube Named Official Online Partner For Grammys - It’s clearly a new day when the Recording Academy names YouTube as the official online partner of the Grammy Awards. Continuing their love/hate relationship, the Academy has tapped YouTube to relaunch its “My Grammy Moment” CGM initiative for the upcoming 50th annual Grammy Awards.
Album Sales Plummet In 2007 - The music industry had an awful 2007 as total album sales plunged 15 percent to 500.5 million units, according to tracking data from Nielsen SoundScan. Online album sales barely rose at all, up 2.4 percent to 30.1 million units; growth was 19 percent in 2006. The figures represent the lowest total and the steepest decline since Nielsen began measuring music sales in 1993. Experts (predictably) blamed piracy for the declines, but they also cited competition from other entertainment sectors like videogames.
China Imposes Huge Restrictions On Video - China extended the reach of its Great Web Wall on Thursday by announcing that it would only allow state-controlled Web sites to post video to the Web and by requiring Internet providers to delete and report certain kinds of content. As yet, it’s unclear how the new restrictions will affect sites like Google’s YouTube, which depend on its users to upload pieces of video. However, a YouTube spokesperson said the new rules “could be a cause for concern, depending on the interpretation.”
Sony Goes DRM-Free - It’s a move that marks the end of a digital music era, as Sony BMG Music Entertainment becomes the last of music’s Big Four to free its music from digital rights management software during the first quarter. Long the scourge of music lovers and device makers alike, DRM protection restricts song distribution across multiple platforms and devices. The idea is to guard against illegal duplication.
Kayak.com And SideStep.com Agree To Merge - On Friday, Kayak said it had raised $196 million in financing led by Sequoia Capital, which is enabling its merger with SideStep, along with future expansion and intentions to enhance its services for travelers in search of rates and availability data.
Isobar Extends Search Prospects, Acquires Extenseo, Merges With iProspect - Aegis Group’s Isobar network, already the largest digital advertising services group in the world, just got bigger. Aegis this morning said it acquired Extenseo, the No. 1 search marketing agency in Belgium from Belgacom Skynet.
Customer Acquisition Network Snaps Up E-Mail Marketing Firm - Customer Acquisition Network announced that it has acquired Options Media Group (and parent company Options Newsletter), adding e-mail marketing solutions to its roster of performance-based Web advertising services.
